Advertising Blurbs

VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES SHIPS THE HOBBIT’ VIDEO GAME BASED ON J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S LITERARY MASTERPIECE

In the classic prelude to The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, gamers lead valiant hero Bilbo Baggins on a remarkable journey

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 11, 2003) – The Hobbit’ video game, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece -- the classic prequel to The Lord of The Rings’ series which has been translated into 26 languages and has sold over 75 million copies worldwide -- ships today, announced Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games). Featuring stunning graphics, The Hobbit’ showcases deep action/combat systems combined with the best elements of stealth, role-playing and puzzle solving. Players will lead the brave Bilbo Baggins on an epic journey throughout the mythical world of Middle-earth’ to ultimately confront Smaug the Dragon. The Hobbit’ is available on PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube’ (developed by Inevitable Entertainment); Game Boy® Advance video game system (developed by Saffire) and PC (developed by Amaze Entertainment).

"Vivendi Universal Games is thrilled to release this third-person action-adventure game that is the only video game based on the best-selling book from the number one fantasy series of all time," said Luc Vanhal, President & COO, North America, Vivendi Universal Games.

In The Hobbit’, which brings to life the immortal tale of J.R.R. Tolkien's prelude to The Lord of the Rings’, players explore the magical world of Middle-earth’, where they will meet enchanting Elves, battle-ready Dwarves, the powerful wizard Gandalf, massive Trolls, bloodthirsty Goblins, the evil Gollum and more, as they traverse from the peaceful lands of the Shire to the harrowing forests of Mirkwood and beyond, ultimately challenging Smaug the Dragon.

Product Features:

Jump, ledge grab, shimmy, climb ropes and ladders, and journey through expansive 3D action-packed environments in the magnificent world of Middle-earth

Play in such recognizable locations as Mirkwood, the Shire and the Lonely Mountain

Battle hordes of Orcs, Goblins, Wargs and more in the fantastic quest to retake the Lonely Mountain

Confront Smaug the Dragon in the depths of the Lonely Mountain and take on legions of enemies in the epic Battle of the Five Armies

In an early preview of The Hobbit’, Play Magazine said: "On a game play scale, The Hobbit’ ranks among the best, mixing adventure and platforming as well as it's ever been done." And Nintendo Power declared that The Hobbit’ "might prove to be one of the wonders of 2003."

Rated E for Everyone, The Hobbit’ is currently available on the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox for a suggested retail price of $49.99; on the Game Boy Advance and PC for a suggested retail price of $29.99. For sales and ordering information, customers can visit www.vugames.com.

About Nintendo
As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems. The systems include Game Boy®, Nintendo® 64, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube’. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.6 billion video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario’ and Donkey Kong® and launching such franchises as Zelda’ and Pokemon®. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com) is the video game system from Microsoft that brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment experiences. Xbox delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games, powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live online service. The new tagline, "it's good to play together," captures the spirit of Xbox as the social hub of the new digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox is now available in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.

About Vivendi Universal Games
Headquartered in New York, Vivendi Universal Games (www.vugames.com) is a global leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment. A leading publisher of PC, console and online-based interactive content, Vivendi Universal Games' portfolio of development studios includes Black Label Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Coktel, Fox Interactive, Knowledge Adventure, NDA Productions, Sierra Entertainment and Universal Interactive. Through its Partner Publishing Group, Vivendi Universal Games also publishes and/or distributes interactive products for a number of strategic partners, including Crave Entertainment, Interplay, Majesco, Mythic Entertainment and Simon & Schuster, among others.

Based on the epic novel by J.R.R. Tolkien (but not the recent Lord of the Rings movies), The Hobbit brings the wonders of Middle Earth to the Game Boy Advance.

Play as Bilbo Baggins, a humble Hobbit with little interest in what lies beyond his home village, who is suddenly thrust into a epic story.

The Ring of Truth

In this game, players will need every ounce of courage to aid the band of dwarves who have hired Bilbo. Bilbo will explore ancient ruins, solve mind-bending puzzles, and battle many enemies on his epic journey to reclaim the ancient home of the dwarves from the evil dragon Smaug.

Meet enchanting elves, a powerful wizard, massive trolls, bloodthirsty goblins and more Middle Earthlings while journeying from the peaceful Shire to the home of the evil dragon.

The action is presented in a top-down view. The Hobbit has fine play control and good graphics.